| "Psychosocial" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bySlipknot | ||||
| from the albumAll Hope Is Gone | ||||
| B-side | "All Hope Is Gone" | |||
| Released | July 7, 2008 (2008-07-07) | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Studio | Sound Farm (Jamaica, Iowa) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Dave Fortman | |||
| Slipknot singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 7" vinyl cover | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Psychosocial" onYouTube | ||||
"Psychosocial" is a song by Americanheavy metal bandSlipknot. Released as the second single from the band's fourth studio album,All Hope Is Gone (2008). The song entered airplay on June 26, 2008. It was originally planned for release as a digital single on July 1 but was delayed and released on July 7.[4][5] Slipknot performed "Psychosocial" live for the first time on July 9, 2008, at theWhite River Amphitheatre inAuburn, Washington.[6]
"That song has got a lot of, I would say,social anxiety. It's got a real goodtempo. It's really fun and it's different… Most of the stuff that we have is different." –Shawn Crahan,The Pulse of Radio[7]
"This is another me-and-Paul[Gray, bassist] creation. It was similar to 'Duality', in that I had mixed feelings about whether it was a good song… Then we got together and started working on it as a team and it just came together. A lot of bands, who I won't name, have ripped this song off. I guess you know you've done something good if everyone rips you off." –Joey Jordison[8]
"I was writing lyrics when Paul and Joey played this to me. I looked at the sheet I'd been working on and at the bottom was the chorus for 'Psychosocial' already… This song was meant to be." –Corey Taylor[8]
"I had to ask Coreywhat 'Psychosocial' meant. He wouldn't tell me." – Shawn Crahan[8]
Rolling Stone praised the song, saying it "slows down the tempo to bludgeon with a steady, pounding groove instead of all-out thrash in a manner reminiscent of the band's more slow-burning but still malicious second album,Iowa." They explained, "That track is capped off with atime-signature shattering guitar/drum breakdown that will leave the best air-instrumentalists stumped".[9]
In 2020,Kerrang andLouder Sound ranked the song number nine and number four, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Slipknot songs.[10][11] The song was also nominated for 'Best Metal Performance' for the51st Grammy Awards,[12] but lost toMetallica's "My Apocalypse", and was nominated for theKerrang! Award for Best Single.[13]
The music video for "Psychosocial" was shot atSound Farm studios inJamaica, Iowa on June 30, 2008.[14] The shoot was delayed due to an unrelated head injury sustained byturntablistSid Wilson before the shoot, who was subsequently hospitalized.[15] On July 18, 2008, the video premiered onMTV'sFNMTV show,[16] hosted byPete Wentz. The video, which was directed byPaul Brown,[17] was shot usinghigh-end cameras which shoot 1,000 frames per second and are contrasted with traditional 35 mm hand crank camera equipment.[14] PercussionistShawn Crahan explained; "we have the most extreme on both ends, with nothing in the middle. That's what the video is, and nobody does that. There's an art form behind it."[14]
During an interview withKerrang!, guitaristJim Root revealed that the video features the burning of the purgatory masks adorned by the band members in the splash teaser photos shown on Slipknot's website, reportedly because the masks represent the band's ego.[18]
There are two versions of the video. One uses the album version of the song, whilst the other uses a much shorter version of the song; excluding the "Limits of the Dead!" lines.The video was nominated to Best Rock Video at the VMA's 2008.[19] OnYouTube the video of the song had gained over 22 million views, before it was removed in December due to a dispute between Roadrunner Records' distributor,Warner Music Group, and YouTube.[20]
As of April 2025, the music video for "Psychosocial" has over 578 million views onYouTube.[21]
All lyrics and music composed bySlipknot.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[37] | 3× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[38] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| Portugal (AFP)[40] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[41] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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| Related articles |
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